Martin Lewis has shared a list of the latest best fixed rate and other energy deals with a simple rule of thumb to help decide whether to go for one or not.

He has told users it may be worth fixing if the price on offer is two percent or lower beneath the Ofgem price cap, but those who want price certainty may want to look at an even higher price.

Cornwall Insight has predicted the price cap will rise 5.3 percent from the start of January and then drop four percent in April and down 1.5 percent in July, and then increase 0.5 percent in October.

Mr Lewis said on X: “Overall over the next year, seasonally adjusted you’d pay two percent more than the current cap if these predictions are correct (was three percent more).

“So if you can get a fix at that or less, if this proves correct, it looks a good deal.”

He linked to an article on the MoneySavingExpert site with a list of fixed rate deals for people to look at.

Under the category of ‘worth considering’ was listed E.on Next’s Next Pledge, which is available only to existing customers.

This is not strictly a fixed rate, as the tariff is three percent less than the price cap and so the price moves depending on the current price cap. Another thing to consider is this is only available as a dual fuel or electricity only deal.

The list included several other deals that are cheaper but that have certain caveats:

These include:

• Utility Warehouse – Fixed Saver 9 – One percent less than the price cap, but customers need to take at least two other services with Utility Warehouse
• Octopus Energy – Octopus Tracker – This is not fixed and can vary daily but the rates on offer have been below the price cap
• Octopus Energy – Agile Octopus – This is also not fixed as prices change every half hour and they can suddenly increase.

A third category of deals were listed as ‘borderline’ in value but worth looking at if a person wants price certainty.

These include:

• E.on Next – Next Fixed 12m V3 – This is three percent above the price cap and is available as a dual fuel or electricity only deal
• Sainsbury’s Energy – Sainsbury’s Fix and Reward 12 V3 – This is four percent above the price cap and is available as a dual fuel or electricity only package. New customers get 4,000 Nectar points when they sign up

Another borderline deal listed was Ovo Energy’s One Year Fixed and Boiler Cover. This is only available to homeowners who are signed up for Ovo’s boiler cover, which costs between £15 and £32 a month.

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